By Rissa Miller, Senior Editor Vegetarian Journal

If cold weather finds you longing for a cozy fireplace and warm hospitality, consider a visit to Allegheny Trail House in Frostburg, Maryland. Vegan innkeeper Jason Yowell has been operating the B&B for four years in a historic property dating back to 1865. His brand of hospitality is engaging and comfortable. The second you arrive, you’ll feel like you’re at the home of an old friend as he offers you freshly baked chocolate chip cookies and you get a hearty tail-wag from Gus, the resident canine. 

Expect to be well fed when you sit at Yowell’s table. This is no paltry B&B offering, you will get a full plate of freshly prepared food. For breakfast you can sweeten up with gluten-free banana pancakes topped with fresh berries. Go savory with a hash bowl of roasted veggies, potatoes, and vegan sausage, or try Yowell’s epic Trail House Breakfast, which includes a vegan omelette, served with breakfast potatoes, tempeh bacon, or vegan sausage. My omelette was stuffed with fresh veggies as well as Yowell’s own housemade seitan and signature plant-based queso sauce (by which I mean, it’s actually made from real plant ingredients!). Other vegan breakfast offerings include loaded avo toast, steel cut oatmeal, and vegan yogurt parfaits with seasonal fruit and granola. 

If you’re planning a day out and about, Yowell offers vegan box lunches. Choose from chickpea salad wraps, vegan hoagies, or an avocado-chik-un sandwich. Sandwiches come loaded with fresh veggies and are served with a dill pickle, bagged chips/snacks, some of those decadent chocolate chip cookies, and a to-go beverage.

Though he’s an expert at offering local dining suggestions, at least one evening be sure to end your day with dinner prepared by the innkeeper. Meals include an appetizer such as nachos with that velvety queso, or house-made vegan mac and cheese (I had this twice and ate it so fast there’s no picture–trust me though–delicious!). Mains include hearty sandwiches like a veggie burger on a pretzel roll or seitan cheezesteaks. If you’re around on a Tuesday, you might get to try Yowell’s tacos with his own vegan asada sauce. Dessert is light-as-air chocolate mousse. The secret ingredient is aquafaba, which gives it a melty, dreamy texture. 

The house itself is Greek revival style. There are four guest rooms, each with a private bathroom and television, and several common rooms offer plush sofas, books/games, and work areas. The B&B is walking distance from the shops, cafes, and bars of historic downtown Frostburg, as well as the GAP trail, ideal for cyclists, hikers, and trail runners. In fact, if you’re a cyclist or runner, you’re going to love the Allegheny Trail House. Yowell is a vetran cyclist and runner himself, and can tell you just about everything there is to know regarding the local trails and even offers bicycle repair onsite as well as shuttle transport for trail adventures.  

Whether your flavor is to curl up by the fire and pet Gus the dog, or traverse the stunning mountain trails, Allegheny Trail House has something wonderful to offer. For your pre-vegan friends and family, there are other food options as well. 

The B&B is located at 156 East Main Street, Frostburg MD. For questions or reservations, call 240-580-9795, message on Facebook at facebook.com/alleghneytrailhouse, or go online, alleghenytrailhouse.com. Dog and bicycle friendly. 

Review by Katelynn Budzich, VRG Intern

In 1980, Seth Tibbott, began a little business called, Turtle Island Soy Dairy. This later became known as Tofurky, the company that created the Tofurky Roast and other plant-based proteins. The book, In Search of the Wild Tofurky: How a Business Misfit Pioneered Plant-Based Foods Before They Were Cool, by Seth Tibbott, is about how a man with no business background grew an organization that sold tempeh and tofu into a multi-million-dollar company, and in the process, launched a plant-based food revolution. The journey was not easy and posed many challenges, but Tibbott demonstrates that with hard work and bootstrapping, success will come. This book was so insightful that it is hard not to share the recipe for success according to Tibbott. Thus, here are 5 pieces of advice I learned from reading In Search of the Wild Tofurky: How a Business Misfit Pioneered Plant-Based Foods Before They Were Cool:

1. Listen to your gut. This one may be a cliché, but it’s good advice. Your business is a reflection of yourself and what you value, so if you don’t follow your intuition, your business won’t be a true reflection of yourself. People told Seth that selling tempeh, which is essentially a type of mold, was a bad idea. Individuals also offered to buy Turtle Island Soy Dairy when it was starting out, and others thought the name ‘Tofurky’ was a bad branding decision. Yet, the founder of Tofurky didn’t listen to what others thought was the right move to make when he thought something different. Tibbott continued to persist with his dream and what he felt was right.

• Make goals for yourself. Goals will give you something to strive for. It is important to have a purpose to work towards. Tibbott did this many times when growing his business. First, he began with three goals to get his business running, then made more goals when the company started to grow, and once again when it was time to scale production. Making goals will help steer you on a path and will influence what decisions to make. 

• More important than investors is generosity. Support from others goes a long way and can make a big impact on your business. Especially in the early days, Tibbott received a lot of help from his family and community. His landlord from the first space he rented out, the Hope Neighborhood Food Co-op, gave him free business advice, his brother Bob, gave him is first loan, the postmaster of Husum offered Tibbott a free place to stay, and even his grandmother sent him a check to help him out. Tibbott sums it up perfectly, “There’s this idea out there that business is a mean, dog-eat-dog world. There may be some truth in that idea, but for me the generosity I’d found… was deeply encouraging. It told me that business can also be generous, people-helping-people world” (101). So, accept help because it takes a lot to stay afloat when an entrepreneur. There’s one thing about starting a business: you can’t do it alone.

• Take risks and don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Tibbott’s Tempeh burgers and KISS (“Keep It Simple Stirfry”) product lines were not successful, but you learn things even from your failures. Another risk was when Tibbott bought a new production space at Port of Hood River, after his first one began to get too small. The price of the space was on the higher end, but in order to expand, the founder of Tofurky needed to take a leap of faith. Perhaps the biggest risk was pivoting from tempeh to tofu when Tibbott began to make what is known today as Tofurky. As Tibbott wrote, “Perhaps the most important asset was that I learned quickly from my mistakes, so my lack of understanding became a great teacher. I gave myself a crash course in business by making mistake after mistake” (64). The overall theme of taking risks, is that some pay off and some don’t, but it is important to take risks because by learning from mistakes, you will be one step closer to finding out what the sweet spot of your business is.

• Find a need in the market. Discover the one thing that will differentiate your business. For Tibbott it was creating a meat-free option for holiday dinners. “People loved the concept of having a high-protein centerpiece for their Thanksgiving tables. In fact, they loved the concept even more than they loved the product. For fifteen years, I’d been following a great product that lacked an attractive concept…” (178). The key to creating an interest in your products is to find a problem and solve it, which is exactly what Tibbott did.

Starting a business is one thing. Starting a business in 1980 is another thing. And starting a business in 1980 that sells tempeh and tofu products is a whole other thing. It requires patience, being humble, and determination. After reading In Search of the Wild Tofurky: How a Business Misfit Pioneered Plant-Based Foods Before They Were Cool, and seeing how Seth Tibbott, the founder of Tofurky created success, now I know that others can as well. 

To purchase In Search of the Wild Tofurky, go to https://tofurky.com/book/

By Rissa Miller, Vegetarian Journal Senior Editor

Occasionally you find a recipe that works for any meal: breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack. You’ve stumbled onto just such a meal. Tender roasted sweet potato stuffed with a savory, spiced black bean, quinoa, and veggie filling will satisfy anytime of day. Top it anyway you would a favorite taco/burrito and you’re set to chow down.

2 large sweet potatoes

1 cup water

1/2 cup quinoa

1 teaspoon taco seasoning

1/2 small onion (about 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

2-3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon nutritional yeast

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons salsa (optionally more to serve)

2 Tablespoons orange juice (about 1/2 fresh orange)

Zest from 1 orange

To serve: chopped parsley, cilantro, jalapeno, green onion; avocado/guac; salsa or any cheezy sauce you like.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake sweet potatoes, wrapped in foil, for one hour until tender when pierced with a fork. Set aside to cool when done. 

     While baking sweet potatoes, prepare quinoa. In a saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add quinoa and taco seasoning, cover, and cook for 10-15 minutes. Stir occasionally while cooking; quinoa is done when all liquid is absorbed and quinoa is fluffy. Set aside.

     In a large skillet, sauté onion and bell pepper in olive oil over medium heat until onions are lightly browned and fragrant, about 2-4 minutes. Add black beans, garlic, cumin, paprika, nutritional yeast, oregano, salt, salsa, and orange juice, as well as prepared quinoa. Stir well to combine and heat over low heat for 3-6 minutes, until the mixture is warm. Just before serving, stir in orange zest.

     To serve, slice baked sweet potatoes lengthwise and squish to open the top wide up. Top each potato with half of the quinoa-black bean filling. Top with your favorites such as chopped parsley/cilantro/jalapeno/green onion, avocado/guac, more salsa or a vegan cheezy sauce.

In the photo, Jalapeno Cashew Cream is shown, recipe at https://nutritiouslife.com/recipes/jalapeno-cashew-cream/

There was a recent advertisement for Ensure Plant-Based Protein, which contains no dairy, but is made from fava bean and pea. Interestingly, this product includes D3 (plant based) and organic sugar. They are stating it is vegan and offering a coupon.

For information see: https://ensure.com/nutrition-products/ensure-plant-based-protein

The Vegetarian Resource Group has been approved for inclusion in the federal government CFC charity list. The CFC code number 10601. If you are a federal worker, we appreciate your support. If you are not a federal government worker, you can support our veg outreach and education in your workplace campaign. For some workplaces that do matching donations, see:  www.vrg.org/donate

Thank you so much for your support!

By Julia Stanitski VRG Intern

In this day and age, college food services need to provide food options for people of all dietary restrictions, including a vegan diet. We decided to ask high-schoolers (or recent high school graduates) what vegan foods they want to see at their future colleges. We also asked current college students’ opinions on what their favorite vegan foods at their school are. All of these students we questioned are interns here at the Vegetarian Resource Group. The information below can be very useful to colleges looking to expand their offerings of on- and off-campus vegan options, and also to college activists working on adding vegan offerings.

We asked the younger students, “What vegan foods do you want to see at your future college?”

• “I would like to see some protein options like beans, peas, chickpeas, tofu, tempeh, etc. – I think a lot of places that offer vegan options mainly offer produce, and even though that’s a huge part of a plant-based diet, it would definitely be nice to be able to have a well-rounded plant-based diet on campus. Also, dairy alternatives like soy, oat, or almond milk, because coffee in college is a must!”
  • Aiman, John Hopkins University (has not been on-campus yet)
• I feel like colleges really limit their vegan foods to pasta and salads and such, but there is so much more they could offer, especially as more and more people are going vegan. As a high school senior, I often think about what vegan options will be readily available on campus. I think it would be great for colleges to diversify their vegan options, adding some international options. I’m a huge fan of bowls, any type of bowl – a vegan fried rice bowl with some tofu or a vegan soba noodle bowl would be awesome to see. Recently, I’ve been enjoying wraps as well – so wraps with veggies and tofu could make a great lunch. It would also be nice if colleges extended the options of vegan proteins. As important as tofu is to my diet, I would still love to see some other protein sources – this could be roasted chickpeas, curry lentils, tempeh, etc. In addition to vegan meals, I would love to see colleges offering a vegan dessert – could be vegan brownies, cookies, or even a pastry would be great!
  • Clarissa, High School Senior
• “I would love to see vegan baked goods on college campuses. Things such as vegan muffins, pastries and desserts…”
  • Audrey, University of Alaska Anchorage (has not been on campus yet)
• “Here are some of my general thoughts about what kinds of vegan food I would like to have in college!

– healthy vegan options (so not just potatoes, pasta, rice)

– I love fruit and vegetables in almost any form

– faux meat or meat substitutes would be a nice form of protein to have available. I know some schools may offer veggie burgers or tofu too.

– legumes are my main protein source usually so that would be awesome to have available in college! (Examples are pinto beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas, etc.)

– vegan breakfast foods hopefully include cereals or vegan breads 

– lastly, I know a lot of schools have salad bars available so that would also be a great go-to.

In general, I just hope that schools are accommodating and considerate. 🙂 I know several of the schools I’m applying to have veggie houses or co-operatives where everyone in that dorm works together to cook vegan foods. I love that idea!

• Lucia, High School Senior

Then, we asked the college students, “What are your favorite foods at your college currently? What do you wish your college had regarding vegan food?”

• “My favorite vegan food on campus would be the Impossible Burger. It tastes great, and has a good amount of protein, which is often harder to find in vegan food. In terms of what I wish my college had, I would say more meat alternatives. As a vegetarian, I have not eaten meat my entire life, and often, I am curious as to what it tastes like. With more “Beyond Meat” options available, bringing more of those options to campus would be preferable.”
  • Rithvik, age 20, John Hopkins University
• “My favorite vegan food at Loyola is the sweet potato sushi at Cold Spring Sushi on campus and regarding vegan food I wish there were more vegan options at Iggy’s Market, which is a place on campus that is similar to a convenience store where you can buy all sorts of snacks, frozen foods, ice cream, drinks, and more.”
  • Katelynn, age 20, Loyola University Maryland
• “I think with college dining the overriding concerns should be cost and ease, so I would for the most part not go for fake meat/fake cheese and instead would emphasize things like chickpeas and lentils with vegetables (soups, curries, pasta sauces, stews) and bean chili with baked potatoes… Also, college is a time when many people are most open to trying new ideas, new lifestyles etc., so another reason to not try to ape a traditional American diet but with fake meat dairy, and instead focus on Indian and Thai style curries (without ghee, meat or paneer), vegan Pho, Ethiopian, etc.”
  • Simon, Postdoc at Johns Hopkins University
• “My favorite vegan food at my college is kung pao tofu. I wish they had a bigger grocery store and more affordable prices for basic vegan items like rice and beans.”
  • Gabriella, age 22, University of Minnesota
• “When I bought vegan foods, my preferred options were vegan baguettes made with a combination of vegetables and hummus. What do you wish your college had? Vegan desserts and more options for regular foods in the menu. We have a free-meat Monday (so there is already some promotion of vegetarian diets), but more inviting vegan dishes could be prepared. Just this year the  Vegan Association was funded.”
  • Odette, age 30, Wageningen University (The Netherlands)

As you can see, adding more options of vegan food at universities and college campuses is important to these students. The high-schoolers mentioned the importance of having a lot of protein options available – like beans, tempeh, and tofu. They also mentioned the need for a well-rounded diet, not JUST produce. People who follow vegan diets do not just eat fruits and vegetables 24/7, so vegan snacks, non-dairy milks, vegan desserts, and more of the processed items would be nice to have. Clarissa, a high school senior, mentioned that having more international dishes would be great, like a soba noodle bowl.

     From the college students, we received an array of answers. The protein options were brought up again – meat alternatives can be very helpful for vegans and vegetarians alike. Rithvik, who attends John Hopkins University, mentioned his love of the Impossible Burger on-campus, but still wish more vegan meats were an option! It was also stated that there should be more vegan items at the smaller convenience stores at colleges, which would include small snacks, frozen meals, and ice cream.

     All in all, colleges should make a wide variety of vegan food and meals available to their students. This not only accommodates to the vegan students (and will attract them to certain colleges over others) but will also allow non-vegans to try these healthy choices.

For information on other college food, see:

https://www.vrg.org/teen/#college

https://www.vrg.org/fsupdate/index.htm#College

For info on VRG internships, go to: https://www.vrg.org/student/index.php

The contents of this posting, our website, and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.

VRG asked the following in a national Harris Poll. See: vrg.org/blog/2020/08/07/how-many-adults-in-the-u-s-are-vegan-how-many-adults-eat-vegetarian-when-eating-out-asks-the-vegetarian-resource-group-in-a-national-poll/

Which of the following, if any, best describes your eating behavior?

• I never eat meat, fish, seafood, poultry, dairy, or eggs.
• I never eat meat, fish, seafood, or poultry.
• I never eat meat, fish, seafood, poultry, dairy, or eggs when eating out or getting takeout, but eat one or more of these foods at home.
• I never eat meat, fish, seafood, or poultry when eating out or getting takeout, but eat one or more of these foods at home.
• When eating out or getting takeout, I sometimes eat meals without meat, fish, poultry, dairy, or eggs.
• When eating out or getting takeout, I sometimes eat meals without meat, fish, or poultry.
• None of these.

We considered those that never eat meat, fish, seafood, or poultry; plus those that never eat meat, fish, seafood, poultry, dairy, or eggs, as vegetarian. We classified that second category of vegetarians who don’t eat dairy or eggs also as vegan. Because we use the word “never” and don’t just ask if a person considers him/herself vegetarian, our numbers may be lower than others. Be wary of comparing to polls in other countries that ask if you are vegetarian or vegan, since people may self define differently. We did not ask about honey.

     More than half of the U.S. adult population (54%) always or sometimes eats vegetarian (including vegan) meals when eating out. One fourth (25%) of U.S. adults always or sometimes eats vegan meals when eating out. Six percent of American adults are vegetarian (including vegans) all the time, and half of the vegetarians are also vegan (three percent of American adults).

We asked the following additional question, which may be of interest to food companies, food services, restaurants, marketers, researchers, students, government regulators, and the media.

BEVERAGES LABELED SOYMILK

Which of the following do you expect from a beverage labeled soymilk? Please select all that apply.

If a beverage is labeled soymilk I expect:

                                         TOTAL                        VEGETARIANS                                            RESPONDENTS           (INCLUDES VEGANS)

-To be able to use it in a similar way     43%                             53%

on cereal as cow’s milk 

-To be able to use it in a similar way     38%                             41%

in cooking as cow’s milk

-It to have the exact same amount         22%                             20%

of Vitamin D as cow’s milk.

-It to have the exact same amount         21%                             15%

of calcium as cow’s milk.

-To have the same allergic reaction    10%                             13%

or lack of allergic reaction

as I might have to cow’s milk

-It to have milk from a cow                    8%                               8%

-None of these                                      23%                             15%

Some groups believe that plant milks should not be labeled milk, as people will confuse these items with cow’s milk. However, according to the survey, only 8% of American adults say if a beverage is labeled soy milk they expect it to have milk from a cow.  

Seven percent of individuals with a high school education expected soy milk to have milk from a cow, 8% with some college education expected this, and 9% of college grads expected soy milk to have milk from cow. Education does not seem to have much impact.

As about half of vegetarians (including vegans) (53%) expect that a beverage labeled soy milk can be used in a similar way on cereal as cow’s milk, calling this item a milk could be helpful to the consumer. However, as some vegetarians (including vegans) expect soy milk to have the same amount of calcium (15%) and vitamin D (20%) as cow’s milk, this suggests clear nutrition labeling of all food products is important.

This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of The Vegetarian Resource Group from June 22-24, 2020 among 2,074 U.S. adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For survey methodology, please contact [email protected]. Please note that this poll was taken during the Covid-19 pandemic. We do not know what influence, if any, that may have had on the survey answers. See: https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/faq.htm#poll  for more poll information.

World Vegan Day is celebrated on November 1^st each year! World Vegan Day first occurred on November 1st, 1994 as a way of commemorating the 50th anniversary of the United Kingdom Vegan Society and the term Vegan. Consider treating a non-veggie friend or co-worker to a delicious vegan meal today. This way you support vegan establishments while showing others how wonderful vegan food can be.

Visit The Vegetarian Resource Group online guide to veggie restaurants in the USA and Canada: https://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

By Chloe Raygoza

Chloe is a winner of The Vegetarian Resource Group video contest. Chloe stated: I … educated myself about a vegetarian lifestyle. To me, being is not about worrying whether or not the food we eat is healthy or what it is actually made of, because it is crafted from the most natural ingredients.

To see her video, go to: https://www.vrg.org/veg_videos.php

By Kavitha Shankar MS, MBA

A dietitian who looked at our non-dairy milk charts, also wanted information on potassium and phosphorus for her patients. See this information compiled by Kavitha Shankar: https://www.vrg.org/nutrition/milk_alternatives/kidney_dysfunction.pdf

Other milk alternative charts are at https://www.vrg.org/nutrition/milk_alternatives/index.htm

As ingredient information changes, please check current information with the company.

The contents of this posting, our website, and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.